1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the fields of cancer biology and molecular biology. More particularly, it concerns the method of detecting cancer and identifying cancer biomarkers from nipple aspiration fluid.
2. Description of Related Art
Breast cancer is the most common fatal malignancy in women. About 15% of all women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime. In the United States, breast cancer is the third leading cause of death in women. Despite recent progress in early detection, as well as improved treatment, the mortality rate remains unchanged. Early diagnosis is the key to surviving breast cancer. Typically, the detection of breast cancer involves an exam by a physician, a mammogram, and either a needle aspiration or biopsy. When the breast tissue forming the lump is removed, the tissue is examined for possible cancer cells.
Analysis of the biochemical and cellular contents of breast ductal fluid has recently gained attention as a potential non-invasive method for studying the local microenvironment associated with the development and progression of breast cancer. Breast cancer arise from the ductal or lobular units of the breast. These units secrete into an average of six to nine ducts, and the secretions are easily accessible as they exit each breast through separate orifices at the nipple. Because of the increased interest in analysis of breast ductal fluid, interest in nipple aspiration of breast ductal fluid—a method first used in the 1970s—has recently become renewed. In nipple aspiration, a simple, handheld suction cup is placed on the nipple and used to quickly and non-invasively obtain a concentrated fluid fraction of breast secretions. This technique is successful in most women. Much of the earlier groundbreaking work with breast ductal fluid obtained by nipple aspiration (nipple aspiration fluid, or NAF) was performed either in healthy volunteers or in women with benign breast disease. However, analysis of NAF has not been done to generate information regarding breast tissue that is cancerous or that has a tumor.
There is a continued need for diagnostic and therapeutic approaches related to breast cancer.